I know absolutely nothing about Iguanas,so please understand if this is a really stupid question: There is a very, very large wild Iguana that has been seen in our neighborhood and more recently in our yard.One of the "neighborhood cats" was found dead in our yard about the same time. Is it possible the iguana killed the cat? Very large bite in back of neck. As I say, I know nothing about the Iguana or it’s feeding habits, etc. This seemed like an excellent place to get the answer though. Thank you so much for any help...Sandy

To:Bluedevix,(?) I’m quite aware of the dangers of "life" and "cars". This was stray cat who had been abandoned.As I said in my post, there was a large bite mark on the back of his neck.. hardly the result of either of the above. I asked a sincere question of this forum because the folks seemed knowledgeable and sincere. I hardly found it "funny" and it’s sad that you have such an attitude. It’s unfortunate that even your board has it’s share of "smart alecks".. Have a pleasant day....

Thanks for your reply. Actually, that may be a possibility (cat attacked first).This Iguana is really large though -6-7 ft.. He’s been in the neighborhood for years (we’re in Fl.)A patrol car stopped to let him cross the street and one of my neighbors almost ran the poor thing over coming the other way. I would think the size of the Iguana would have intimidated the cat, but who knows. Cat’s can be overly confident!! Could an Iguana be capable of inflicting damage like that?? As I said, I’m really ignorant on the subject of Iguanas so please bear with me.. Thanks for your info.. S.

I really, really doubt it. Iguanas are very slow, even if attacking. I’ve pulled away from mine every time it attacked and I have no where near the reaction time of a cat. An iguana moves in slow motion compared to the reflexes of a cat. Plus, an iguana doesn’t kill for food and has no instinct to attack the neck. When an iguana attacks, it just bites whatever it happens to grab. My guess is that a stray dog grabbed it. That would be the most likely scenario, discounting the possible exotic reptiles that "could" inflict that type of damage, like a Nile monitor.

I tend to agree here, a very large iguana is more likely to use its tail as a weopon than its teeth. My aunt has a large male adult ig and several cats, if any of them come too close its kitty bowling time and the ig sends them flying across the room with one tail whip.

Could a large iguana bite a cat and cause severe damage? sure if it was defending itself, iguanas have short serated, shark-like teeth that they use to perforate leaves for ease in tear them off the stem, they are also effective to slice when angry. Cats, however, will usually attack from behind and above and your large iguana would have a very difficult time getting above it to take a bite out of the back of the neck, perhaps it could reach arround if attacked and bite say a leg off, or a portion of the hind quarters, but i agree with above, it sounds like the cat was either stupid and tryed to attack the iguanas tail rather than its head, OR attacked by something taller than it that bit down from above, most likely a dog (key here was if there were any puncture wounds in the bite iguana have very short teeth that work like a knife where a dog or other predator (gator included) would bite in and tear.)

If the main reason you ask is fear that you have a killer iguana on your hands, I wouldn’t worry. Iguanas are strict vegitarians, they do not prey on any other animal species. They can be territorial and can defend themselves if provoked or attacked, i wouldn’t suggest approaching him, since he is a large wild animal like any other, but the odds of him chasing you down and eating you, or your pets for that matter, are slight to none if you respect his space and don’t bother him. A good comparison here can be made with a large male deer, the same level of territorialism that will protect itself but doesn’t hunt other animals for sport or food.

Thanks to Castiliana and Hammer, Glad to hear that !! There are a number of strays around the neighborhood and never would have given it a thought except for the timing..(wasn’t worried for humans,figured he’d be afraid of them, but as I said, cats can be pretty cocky!) I’m really surprised the Iguana has lasted this long in the wild -- well , S.Fl. is not "wild" but with the traffic, etc., it’s amazing he’s still around. Don’t see him much..but he is big !! Again, thanks for taking the time to answer. Sandy